The Extended Range fuel Tank, ERT, is an aircraft asset that can be fitted toMk2 and Mk3 Chinooks. It is primarily used to extend the aircrafts effectiveoperational range. There are numerous reasons as to why the ERT was chosen asthe subject of this project such as; Aircraft Technicians (SAC – Tech)specialising in airframes and propulsion at RAF Odiham Role bay routinelyservice and carry out bay maintenance on the ERT’s; Work carried out on the ERTencompasses everything from documentation, health and safety issues, manpowerand resource management; other assets maintained by the Role bay may notencompass as many issues; The bay maintains and manages all Chinook roleequipment based at RAF Odiham and prior to carrying out bay maintenance onERT’s, the many requirements and specifications must be taken into account andwill form the basis of my project. These include bay maintenance, assessing itsrepairable state, quality and standards checks and replenishment of consumablesstores. This project will look at each of these reasons in greater detail, inthe latter stages, and endeavour to propose recommendations of procedureamendments whilst presenting the data in report form and presentation form,using Microsoft PowerPoint.

LO1 Understand how to formulate a research specification

1.1 formulate and record possible research project outline specifications

1.2 identify the factors that contribute to the process of research project selection

1.3 undertake a critical review of key references

1.4 produce a research project specification

1.5 provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification

Formulate and record possible outline project specifications The ExtendedRange fuel Tank (fig. 1) is an aircraft asset that is fitted within the cabinof the Mk2 and Mk3 Chinook. It is primarily used to extend the effectiveoperational range of the aircraft. Prior to carrying out bay maintenance onExtended Range fuel Tanks, ERT’s, the many requirements and specifications mustbe taken into account and will form the basis of this project. These includebay maintenance, assessing the repairable state of the ERT, quality andstandards checks and replenishment of consumables stores. Bay maintenance iscarried out on the ERT every two years, if the tank has not been stowed offaircraft for longer than six months, or every six months whilst the ERT is instorage. However, bay maintenance can be avoided whilst the tank is in storageif the technician who carried out the preventative maintenance filled the tankwith AVTUR fuel, at a minimum of five per cent of the maximum capacity of theERT. ERT records such as serial number, location and state are entered andstored into the station Role bay database (Annex 1). Each ERT is issued withits own Equipment conditioning label MoD 731 (Annex 2) and tracked using theLifed Item Tracking System (LITS). The date the ERT is due bay maintenance canbe ascertained manually using its 731, or highlighted to the LITS user in theaircraft 700 forecasts. When the ERT becomes unserviceable (U/S) or due baymaintenance, it is returned to the station Role bay. Upon receipt of the ERT, aqualified technician will carry out various examinations, as well as thenecessary preventative and/or corrective measures to ensure that the ERT madeserviceable, meets the high standards specified by aviation requirements. Thiswork is carried out in accordance with the relevant Aircraft publications(AP106B-0102-6, Extract of procedure is available in Annex 4) wearing thecorrect Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE). All work carried out isdocumented in the bay job card log book 700c, on the MOD form 707A (N/O/A) and707B(Annex 3). If an ERT has deteriorated beyond economically viable repairlimits (as stated in AP106B-0102-6) it is cannibalised and scrapped, thenremoved from the Role bay database and LITS. A new ERT is assembled from theserviceable parts salvaged from the scrapped ERT, if any, and from the new partstaken from the spares located in the ERT consumable stores known as KAN BAN(Figure 2). The Role bay database and LITS are updated to reflect the correctstate of the ERT. At any 24hr period there must be a minimum of 2 serviceableERT’s held in the bay and ready to issue. These measures ensure that everythingis utilised to its entirety and that the bay will meet the station andoperational demands for serviceable ERT’s. Quality and standards checks arecarried out by a Junior Non Commissioned Officer (JNCO) or higher rank. Allwork carried out on the ERT’s are recorded in the relevant 707B paperwork andrequire an over signature from a JNCO or above. All costs for works carried outon the ERT’s are covered at public expense by the MOD however it is imperativethat resources are utilised to its maximum and wastage is kept to a minimum.This can reduce maintenance costs. Fig. 2

1.2 Identify factors that contribute to the process of project selection ASenior Aircraft Technician (SAC – Tech) specialising in airframes andpropulsion at RAF Odiham Role bay would be inclined to choose a project topicthat they regularly carry out and are deemed competent. The bay maintains andmanages all Chinook role equipment based at RAF Odiham. The Extended Range fuelTank was chosen as the subject of this project because it is routinely servicedand bay maintained. The work carried out on the ERT encompasses everything fromdocumentation, health and safety issues, manpower and resource management.Other assets maintained by the Role bay do not incorporate as many issues.

1.3 & 1.4 Undertake a critical review of key references and produce aresearch project specification Monitoring methods:As briefly described in 1.1, the ERT MoD 731 or LITS are used to monitor theserviceability and bay maintenance date of the ERT. The 731 is the hard copyrecord of the ERT which details the bay maintenance date, the life expiry date,the serial number and partial service history. A MoD 731 will always accompanythe ERT whether it is issued/returned from/to the bay, where as LITS is thesoft copy which is available to all users with the LITS terminal.

Operating Methods:Operating methods are carried out in accordance with Air publications(AP106B-0102-6 Annex 4) and documented in MOD form 707B (Annex 3). The genericprocedure that is carried out on a ERT due bay maintenance is as follows. * ERTis returned to the bay U/S or due bay maintenance. * JNCO will raise the job inthe bay card job book 700c on the MOD form 707A (N/O/A). * JNCO will task atechnician to carry out work.

* Technician will update the process control board (PCB Fig. 3) prior to work.The PCB in the ERT cell is a physical representation of the state of ERT’s inthe bay, ERT’s issued to squadrons and ERT’s that are out of area (OOA) i.e. intheatre. * Technician will carry out various examinations, and affect thenecessary preventative and/or corrective measures to produce a serviceable ERT.* All work carried out on the ERT will be documented by the technician in theMOD form 707B and over signed by the JNCO. * Upon completion of workstechnician will update the process control board. Carry out stock check on ERTKAN BAN. Order parts required to replenish KAN BAN and tidy up ERT cell. * JNCOwill close and co-ordinate MOD form 707B and update the Role bay database. Atall times the PCB should reflect the Role bay database.

Fig. 3Procedure on updating the PCB* When the ERT is received the serviceability state is amended. * ERT serialnumber, and SNOW number obtained from 707A, is entered into work in progressbox. * Serviceability magnets are swapped over with tag work number to indicatethat the ERT is being worked on. Risk analysis:

Each task carried out in the bay has a risk assessment and ‘Control ofsubstances hazardous to health’ (COSHH) assessment and risk assessment (ref. toAnnex 5), which must be read prior to any work being carried out. Lines ofcommunication:

There are various lines of communication open to anyone that is trying toascertain the serviceability status and location of ERT’s. As statedpreviously, the Equipment conditioning label MoD 731 and LITS not only containthe dates for bay maintenance and life expiration but also contain the partialand full service history of the ERT. This gives the technician a history ofwhere the ERT was installed/removed, when it was installed/removed, whoinstalled/removed it and a short description of why it was removed. Thisenables the technician to better understand the fault allowing efficient andeffective diagnosis and to affect the correct rectification procedures.

Project group: Roles and responsibilities of individuals within the projectgroup Bay maintenance carried out on a ERT requires a team of three personnelmade up of a JNCO and two qualified technicians. The technicians generallycarry out all maintenance work whilst the JNCO supervises.

The technicians must:* Read and adhere to ‘control of substances hazardous to health’ (COSHH Annex5), risk assessments (Annex 5) and Safety handbook (JSP (F) 395) beforecarrying out any work. * Ensure that correct PPE is worn at all times.

* Ensure that adequate levels of spares and consumables are available prior tostarting the task. * Ensure all tools are tagged out in the correct manner.Upon completion of the task they are to ensure all tools are returned and ERTKAN BAN are replenished to the acceptable levels. * Ensure the Role baydatabase and PCB are updated.

Project Development and Implementation for Strategic ManagersThe JNCO must:* Raise the job in the bay card job book 700c on the MOD form 707A (N/O/A). *Provide 100 per cent supervision.* At the end of each stage of maintenance the JNCO will provide an oversignature on form 707B in accordance with (IAW) AP106B-0102-6. * After baymaintenance has been carried out, the JNCO will carry out a quality and standardscheck on the asset before closing and co-ordinating the job cards 707B and707A. All work must be carried out in accordance with relevant Air Publications(AP106B-0102-6) and documented in job cards 707A and 707B. All work is carriedout to the highest of standards. Aim and targets:

Our aim is to supply the demand for Extended Range fuel Tanks to all Chinooksquadrons at RAF Odiham and hold in store a minimum of two serviceable ERT’sready to issue. We target to carry out bay maintenance on an ERT within amaximum of eight hours allowing the possibility for any unforeseencomplications.

1.5 Provide an appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed researchspecification The general operating plan of carrying out bay maintenance on aERT is outlined in 1.3 operating methods. The maintenance work carried out onthe ERT is in accordance with AP106B-0102-6 documented in MOD forms 707A and707B (Annex 3). Personnel allocate a maximum of eight hours to produce aserviceable ERT. An estimated timescale for the bay maintenance of a ERT isfound below.

| |Note this is an estimation of bay maintenance carried out without complicationsshowing a total estimated time of 5 hours and 40 minutes. As discussed in 1.1and 1.3 the quality assurance systems, quality plans and monitoring plans.

LO2 Be able to implement the research project within agreed procedures and to specification

2.1 match resources efficiently to the research question or hypothesis

2.2 undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification and procedures

2.3 record and collate relevant data where appropriate

2.1 Match resources efficiently to the research questions or hypothesis Thissection and all points have been covered in 1.3 – Produce a specification forthe agreed project.

2.2 Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreedspecification and procedures MOD form 707B illustrates actual time taken tocarry out bay maintenance on the Extended Range fuel Tank Serial No.ODI/ERT/155. To illustrate the appropriate techniques for generating solutions,monitoring development, maintaining and adapting project plans and record ofdevelopment/progress we have the 6s checklist and Issues and ideas capturesheet. The actual time taken to carry out bay maintenance (7 hours) is slightlylonger than the estimated time (5 hours and 40 minutes) but within the maximumtime allocated for bay maintenance. The actual timescale is documented in MODform 707B (Annex 3). The task took longer because the flexible bladdercontained inside the ERT had pulled away from the rigid housing. Although therectification work to the bladder was minor adhesive used, to re-attach thebladder to the rigid housing, took an hour to cure, which contributed to asevere time penalty. Ensuring the ERT stack is taken out in the correctorientation and at an angle that will not adversely affect the flexible bladderwas found to provide a solution to reduce the lengthy process currently used.The solution came in the form of a stencil. The stencil or outline of where theERT should be placed under the overhead gantry, to ensure the integrity of theERT bladder, was spray painted onto the floor the ERT workshop. Illustrated inFig. 4

Fig. 4The 6s checklist (Annex 6) is a procedure that is carried out every fortnightto ensure that project plans and timescales are maintained. After monitoringdevelopment, the issues and ideas capture sheet (Annex 7) is utilised by thetechnician to propose an adaptation to the procedures, which have been carriedout in order to reduce the current timescales, man-hours and wastage ofresources. 2.3 Record and collate relevant data where appropriate

All work that was carried out was recorded on the 707B job card that was raisedfrom the 707A (N/O/A) entry as shown in the annexes. Prior to carrying out thework the ERT was allocated using the Role bay database. On completion of thetask the database and PCB was updated to correlate the information found in thedatabase.

LO3 Be able to evaluate the research outcomes

3.1 use appropriate research evaluation techniques

3.2 interpret and analyse the results in terms of the original research specification

3.3 make recommendations and justify areas for further consideration

3.1 Use appropriate project evaluation techniquesThe technique used to evaluate the project is mentioned in 1.1 and 1.3 –Operating methods. Use of the Role bay database enables the user to view theERT stock levels of the RAF Chinook fleet. The Role bay has a responsibility tomaintain and service ERT’s. A procedure of how to use the Role bay database isoutlined in Annex 8. The colour-marking guide enables the user to identify thestate and location of the ERT. The column labelled bay maintenance indicatesthe due date and highlights red when overdue. Most importantly the databasegives the user a visual indication of the number of ERT’s serviceable andconfirms that there is enough to supply the demand required by squadrons andthe amount required in store.

3.2 Interpret and analyse results in terms of the original researchspecification The team set out to provide 18/27 squadron with eight serviceableExtended Range fuel Tanks and two held in store ready for issue. Keeping aminimum of two serviceable ERT’s in store ensured that in the event that two ofthe eight ERT’s on squadron were damaged or unserviceable we would be able toinstantly supply the squadron with serviceable ERT’s, thus keeping the aircraftoperational. Furthermore, allocating eight hours to carrying out corrective andpreventative maintenance on the ERT enables four technicians working a singleshift to restock the stores to required levels. The team were able to carry outbay maintenance in 7 hours on a ERT.

This time was over the estimated time of 5hours 40 minutes but within the allocated time of 8 hours. The knock on effectof the degradation of the bladder seal was the reason for taking an extra 1hour 20 minutes. This is the only maintenance on the ERT that would incur aheavy time penalty. Therefore we can assume that if the squadron requested twoERT’s, the bay would be able to supply that demand as well as producing the twoserviceable ERT’s to be kept in store within the 24-hour period enabling us toachieve the projects targets and aims. 3.3 Make recommendations and justifyareas for further consideration The issues and ideas capture sheet mentioned in2.2 allows us to make recommendations and ensures that there is continualimprovement to the way procedures are carried out. Theserecommendations/amendments to procedures is forwarded to the relevant partieswho asses and, if found necessary, implement the changes. After working onERT’s it was noted that if the ERT stack was removed at an angle notperpendicular to the base of the ERT the bladder seal would slowly start toperish. Having to carry out rectification to the bladder on top of the baymaintenance wasted time, resources and manpower. Therefore it was recommendedthat the stencil be made of the placement of the ERT under the overhead gantry,which would ensure correct removal of an ERT stack whilst carrying out baymaintenance. This was implemented and ensures that the bay remain efficientwhen carrying out maintenance tasks on ERT’s.

LO4 Be able to present the research outcomes

4.1 use an agreed format and appropriate media to present the outcomes of the research to an audience

Use an agreed format and appropriate media to present the outcomes to anaudience Microsoft office power point 2007 was used to present a power pointpresentation to the Role bay chain of command. Please refer to Annex 8. Allrecords of work carried out, data, results and procedures are shown in annexesand are discussed thoroughly in previous sections.